Book 4: The Lost Firebenders
by danzilla3
Summary: Now completely rewritten! When a lone assassin attacks Zuko and Aang, a chain of events is set off that will rock the world to it's core.


Hello people! Welcome to the first chapter of Book 4: The Lost Firebenders. Some of you may be seeing this and wondering, "Hey, this story isn't new. What the hell is this guy trying to pull?" Well it's certainly true that this story has been on this site before, but awhile ago I said I would rewrite this, and I've finally gotten around to it. Why the rewrite you may ask? Well when I first wrote this story, I was just starting out as a writer, and at the time I thought this was the best thing I had ever written. As I got more experience, I looked back at it, and saw that there were a lot of things wrong with it. And so here we are! Please enjoy the story, and if you like it, please review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or any of the characters except Xu who is my own creation.

From the distance the island didn't look like much. Just another piece of land placed seemingly at random in the middle of the ocean. Even right on the shore it wasn't all that remarkable , but it was very beautiful. The sand was pure white, like sugar. From the shore one can see the ocean, vast, and blue as the sky, stretching out for miles in all directions. Tall palm trees sprout out of the ground all over the island, creating a lush tropical forest. It certainly seems like an idyllic island paradise.

But Xu knew better. Twenty miles from the shore, all traces of the forest had been eradicated, burned away long ago. He had thought it a shame to destroy such beauty, but they had needed a place to set up a base camp, and there were no clearings big enough to accommodate a force their size. At least he had convinced them that it wasn't necessary to burn down all the foliage. He had made the argument that the forest would provide natural camouflage, better concealing them from any ships that happened to be passing by. Not that something like that was likely to happen. The island was in between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom, but there were much faster, much safer routes then the one that Inferno Island laid on.

In the end though, Xu's reason had less to do with tactics, and more to do with wanting something else to look at besides the endless sea of tents. All around him, tents more numerous than the tree's that had formerly occupied the space had been erected to house his garrison. The structures were so numerous, between how many of them there were, and how one random tent looked exactly like another, it had been very easy to get lost in the early days. Eventually one of the soldiers, he didn't know who, had taken the initiative and put signs up. That had at least made it easier to get around, but did nothing to help the blandness of the scenery.

Of course, there was one thing that broke up the visual monotony; a big, black, three story rectangular building right in the middle of camp. Xu could only imagine what the whole thing must look like from the air; a see of red, broken up by a big patch of black. Not exactly a cornucopia of color, but then this was a military encampment, not a festival.

At the moment Xu was on the top floor of the building. Kneeling on the cold metal floor, he took a look around him. Nothing had changed since the last time he had done so five minutes ago. Once again he noted that the top floor, which served as an office and personal quarters for his commanding officer was quite large, and the lack of furnishing or decoration made the room feel even more cavernous. The only thing in the room was his commanders desk. He had never been into the separate chamber that served as the mans bedroom, but Xu guessed that if he had used the same decor of the office in there as well, then there would only be a bed, and maybe a footlocker to hold his clothes.

Completing his scan of the room, Xu's eyes came to rest on the man at the desk in front of him. Yao was a tall, lean man. His skin was almost as tan as those of the water tribes. He wore a simple robe of red cloth. Xu wasn't sure how old the man was. For the most part, he could easily pass for a man in his late thirties, but his graying hair, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes made him think that he was between forty and fifty. As he studied his commanders face he noticed that his lips were no longer moving. He seemed to be waiting for Xu to say something. Of course Xu had no idea what to say, because he had been busy thinking about his surroundings like he was a guide giving a tour. Indeed, depending on Yao's mood when he realized Xu hadn't been paying attention, tour guide would be an optimistic view of his career opportunities.

"Xu? Have you been listening to anything I just said?," Yao asked, his deep voice echoing in the wide chamber.

"Um..." it wasn't the best reply, but given that the first three responses that came to mind were both impressively sarcastic, and destined to get him whipped until his back resembled a pai sho board, "Um," looked downright brilliant in comparison.

Yao steepled his hands and leveled his steely gaze on Xu, "Do you even know where your next mission is?"

Oh crap. But wait! Maybe he could salvage this. There were really only two places that Yao could be sending him: the Earth Kingdom, or the Fire Nation. Sure, it was possible that he was being sent to one of the Water Tribes, but given that operations in that area had been suspended since Zhao's failed invasion, he doubted it. By his own logic then, he had a fifty, fifty chance of getting it right. But which one should he choose? He supposed that it was possible that Yao wanted one last scouting mission with their main objective so close to completion. Then again...

"You know, if I listen very closely, I can almost hear the gears grinding in your brain," quipped Yao dryly.

The comment derailed Xu's train of thought, and sent it plowing through an orphanage. He needed more time. Stalling tactic.

"Could you repeat the question?" asked Xu.

"Where is your next mission?" repeated Yao in a level tone of voice.

This was it. The moment of truth. Time to lay all his cards on the table. Time to fish or cut- okay now he really was just stalling.

"The Fire Nation," blurted Xu.

"Where in the Fire Nation?" asked Yao, with just a hint of amusement in his voice.

Fuck. Well might as well stop digging. At this point the thought of a whipping sounded less painful then trying to think of another answer.

"I...don't know," said Xu so quietly it was almost a whisper.

"Decided to stop digging have we?" asked Yao.

"Yes sir," said Xu meekly.

Yao stood up from behind the desk, "Alright, listen up. It's time for our annual report to the Fire Lord. I can't make it this year, so I'm sending you in my stead."

"I'm greatly honored Sir," replied Xu, "But may I ask why you're not going this year?".

"Necessity. With Seawalker so close to completion, I need to be here to oversee the final details," Yao walked around the desk to and gestured for Xu to stand up, "Besides, there may be a problem this year."

Xu rose to his feet, "Problem, sir?"

"We should have received our orders for the year months ago, but so far there has been no contact with the mainland."

"I see," said Xu, "What do you think it means?"

"It could be a simple delay. Or it's possible that if the operation on the day of the comet was successful that we are simply not needed at the moment," Yao frowned, "But even then I would at least expect an order to hold our position."

"So this is really more of a scouting mission?" asked Xu.

"More or less," Yao walked past Xu to stand on the balcony overlooking the camp, "You are to go to the Capitol. Depending on what you find there, you are to either report back, or hang back and wait for Back Burn to initiate."

"You really think Back Burn will be necessary?" asked Xu.

"It's possible. Don't forget that this contingency is one of the reasons this base exists."

"Yes sir."

Yao turned around, "You have your orders. Pack your things. You leave at first light tomorrow."

Packing was an easy task. Xu didn't have many personal items. Hell, he only owned two pairs of clothes; the standard set of Fire Nation Armor, and a set of civilian clothing. Other than that, he had a toothbrush, and a straight razor for personal hygiene.

Xu looked around his room and reflected that being second in command of this garrison does have it's advantages, one of them being that his room was bigger then the standard soldiers room. It's size however didn't stop it from feeling like a prison cell with a desk and a bed when he had first got it though. so he had decided to decorate a little. On each of the far walls there was a red banner with the emblem of the Fire Nation on it, and on the floor was a small black throw rug with the same symbol etched in red. Though the rooms in the building didn't have windows, he had still hung some red and gold curtains where a window would go.

Xu was almost finished packing when his door flew open. He was pretty sure he already knew who it was without turning around, "You know, most people would knock before entering a superior officers quarters Gao."

"How did you know it was me?" asked his visitor.

Nailed it. Xu let his smile seep into his voice, "Because every other soldier on this island knows that if anybody else entered my room without permission, I would roast them to a crispy and delicious golden brown."

"Anybody else but me, huh?" asked Gao, "Gosh, I guess that makes me special."

"Indeed, but only because it would be politically incorrect to call you feeble minded," Xu turned to look at the man, "Please tell me you didn't break the lock."

Gao a was man in his late twenties, not more than 5'10, but built like one of the professional wrestlers in the Earth kingdom. He kept his brown hair shaved, with a small patch of hair under his bottom lip. His eyes, the same color of his hair, sparkled with humor, "Of course not, I didn't need to. You have an open door policy remember?"

"Pretty sure I have a _locked_ door policy," quipped Xu.

Gao smirked and held up a key, "Call it an enforced open door policy."

Xu scowled and snatched the key out of the big mans hand, "Where the hell did you get that?"

"You gave it to me remember?" Gao replied, "Of course you were pretty drunk when you gave it to me."

Xu made a face of mock outrage, "I can't believe you took advantage of me while I was drunk!"

Gao raised an eyebrow, "You know when you say it like that, it sounds a little homoerotic."

"Please. You should be so lucky."

Gao pantomimed throwing up, and Xu burst out laughing, and the muscular firebender joined in. Xu extended his hand and Gao clasped it with enough force to break bones.

"When did you get back from the Basement?" Xu asked.

"Just a few minutes ago. Figured I'd come see you before I gave my report to Yao."

"Lucky you did, I'd have already been gone if you'd come any later."

Gao looked past Xu to the bag on his bed, "Oh yeah? Where you heading?"

"Fire Nation. Gonna give the Fire Lord his annual briefing."

Gao scratched his head, surprise evident on his features, "You? Why not Yao?"

Xu shrugged, "He says he has to stay and oversee the finishing touches on Seawalker."

Gao nodded in comprehension, "Are we really still needed? I would have thought Ozai would have used the day of the comet to strike at the Earth Kingdom."

Xu spread his hands, "Last I heard from Yao, Ba Sing Se was still standing. Guess I'll find out when I get back to the Fire Nation."

"You leaving now?"

"Yup," Xu slung his bag over his shoulder, "I'm not supposed to leave till tomorrow, but if I do, Yao will have the whole island out to see me off, and you know how I hate ceremony."

Gao nodded, "Mind if I walk with you to the docks?"

"Not at all."

The two firebenders walked out of the barracks, and made their way through the camp. As they neared the docks Xu stopped short.

"You gotta be kidding me," he muttered under his breath.

There where at least twenty men in Fire Nation armor lining the pier that the ship he was to board was docked. Every other man held a flag bearing the symbol of the Fire nation. Upon seeing Xu they all saluted.

Xu shook his head while Gao tried to conceal a grin. The two walked down the dock to find Yao standing before Xu's ship.

"How did you know?" Xu asked his superior.

Yao smiled ever so slightly, "It wasn't to hard to figure out. Your hatred of ceremony is well documented, but such things are good for morale."

"Well, that was...nice of you. I'll be going now."

Yao nodded, "Indeed," he bowed slightly, "I wish you good luck on your journey, and await your safe return."

Xu bowed as well, albeit more deeply, "You honor me greatly." Then he boarded his ship and cast off. As he did, Yao raised his hand, and the soldiers on the pier not holding a flag shot streams of flame into the air that crisscrossed each other. From the deck of the departing ship, Xu watched the flames dance in the sky until the shore faded from his view.


End file.
